Elk/Horse/Deer has sacrificed his hide so I can make a drum.
Maple/Cedar has given of her body to form the hoop.
Deerskin decorates the stick.
Sheepskin pads the stick.
Water, Sun and Earth fed and watered them all.
Creator brought it all into being.
All my Relations!
Honor them all.
"The evocative power of the drum can be compared to the Trinity; the drum's frame comes from the trunk of a tree, and that tree has a spirit. It is not dead wood. There is also spirit in the animal skin; if there wasn't, it would not produce sound. Those, plus the spirit of the person playing become an irresistible force." --Babatunde Olatunji
